Transmogrification
by TheSyrenSage
Summary: With Naraku defeated and the Shikon completed there was only one thing left to do. Wish. But what happens when the most unselfish wish is also the most life-changing?
1. To Dust

**To Dust**

Finally, Naraku had been defeated, surrendering the remaining shards of the shattered gem known as the Shikon Jewel. Time seemingly stood still as Kagome finally purified the completed ball, eliminating the vile corruption that had poured from the individual pieces. The world was silent and still, as it appeared that the very universe had paused to await her fulfilling her final duty as the ill-fated stone's caretaker. The time had come for her to make her wish. Though the physical battle was over and they had achieved their purpose, the true victory would not be won until a truly selfless wish was made and the jewel and its influence were voided forever. Kagome had considered carefully the potential consequences of her choice. The lengthy and tiresome adventure had greatly aged the exhausted girl, and she had matured beyond her years as she and her pack of warriors endured trials and hardships throughout the seemingly never-ending journey. She forced her doubts to the back of her mind, knowing that if she honestly wanted this to have a chance of working, she was going to have to be strong and confident. There was no room for error or weakness.

Steadying her courage, she threw her night-black hair over both shoulders. She solidified her stance and held her head high as she locked her steel-gray eyes onto the bauble in her palm. The innocent looking, milky pink gem seemed to shimmer slightly as though trembling in her fierce gaze with its preternatural sense. It had finally met its match.

"Oh, Kami hear my plea! I, the Miko of the Shikon and your lowly servant, have come to right the wrongs of this ill-wrought pearl! I stand before you at your mercy and humbly offer my one true wish! Obliterate this monstrous jewel from existence and bring balance and harmony to those whose harm it wrought, never to create havoc or despair again!"

The world around her exploded into life again as the peaceful spell broke. There was a thunderous crack and a golden white light blinded her to her surroundings. Where moments before the jewel had rested in her hand, she now carried a palm full of glittering dust. Even that was not to last, as a heavy gust of wind carried the remaining powder from her outstretched hand into the air.

As the last vestiges of the once great Shikon were rendered to naught, and her senses returned, she became aware of a great cacophony of blended voices pressing down upon her.

"You have acted wisely and with great compassion, Chosen One. Your wish is an unselfish one. You and your champions may go in peace. The darkness will not trouble you again. Return home and live well. Your task is complete. You have earned your respite."

A figure she somehow knew on sight, Midoriko, was suddenly before her, hand outstretched with a gentle smile on her face. She was dumbfounded and frozen in place as the newly freed guardian called to her with a voice like bells.

"Kagome, dear child, it is time for you to return to the place you belong. The world is returning to what it should have been and this is not where you are meant to exist. Your family awaits your arrival. Come now, let us away."

Roused from her trance, she hesitantly reached for the offered arm.

"Oh! But, what of my companions? What will happen to them? They are my family too!"

"Fear not, Blessed One. Those closest to you have earned their place in the world. No harm shall come to them."

With that final expression, the elder Miko clasped Kagome's fingers within her own and with a mild tug, they were ascending. The feeling of magic enveloped her as the dual sensation of passing through the well caressed her senses for what she now inferred would be the last time. As she embraced the comforting warmth around her, she couldn't help the silent moisture of tears that gathered in her eyes, streaming silently down her cheeks. Her last conscious thoughts were of the good friends that had been by her side through it all and how much she was going to mourn the loss their presence.


	2. Asunder

**Asunder**

It was over. They had finally defeated the ugly demon wannabe that called itself Naraku. They were battered and bruised, but they had made it out alive and achieved their goal. The site of the final battle was deeply scarred; the aftereffect of the fight. Trees were uprooted and a thick layer of slime and debris covered everything in their path. True, they were victorious, but the damage was done. He surveyed his pack with haunted eyes. Sango was unseeingly supporting a sagging Miroku who had not stopped staring incredulously at his palm, once occupied by a fatal void. Shippo, Rin, and the fire-cat were huddled together, clinging to each other for comfort and security. Sesshoumaru and Jaken were nowhere to be seen, but he could still feel his half-brother's unsteady aura so he knew he couldn't have gone far. The mangy wolf stood to his right, mimicking his movements as he assessed his own decimated tribe.

Shaking himself from his surveillance, he turned to study the head of their rag-tag group. Kagome was standing as though in a trance, staring at the accursed marble they had finally attained in whole. The blasted piece of rock had ruined so many lives and caused so much suffering. He had once desired it for himself, the overwhelming yet corrupt power singing to his incomplete demon blood, begging for release. Having witnessed the malfeasance it had caused and now that Kikyo had been returned to the ether, he could only look upon the Shikon with revulsion. He shifted his focus to the face of the woman he called his best friend and studied her intense focus. It was up to their Miko to end this once and for all.

He watched as she mobilized from her musings and became emboldened. His ears twitched as she began to speak, but he could not understand the words. He started toward her, but he was rooted in place as if being contained by some unseen force. He growled in frustration as his efforts to reach her were thwarted and his unease grew. They'd come too far to have her taken from them! Suddenly there was an explosion and the land around them was covered by a brilliant light. He flattened his ears to his head after the initial thunderous assault and he focused more intently on the place where Kagome stood. His inhuman tawny eyes absorbed the sight of her hair as it floated around her, defying gravity. She was glowing with a gold and silver hue as her mouth moved. He tore his gaze from her person to seek where the jewel had rested in her palm, eyes widening in shock as he watched it splinter as though it were a mirror shattering and then pulverized into nothingness. He watched raptly as Kagome reached out in front of her towards something he could not see. It was then that Inuyasha heard something that made his hackles rise and his eyes began to bleed red.

"Oh! But, what of my companions? What will happen to them? They are my family too!"

He didn't hear the response, as a sudden piercing pain struck him. He roared as his blood began to boil and an itching sensation began working its way through his body. His eyes slammed shut as he felt his bones begin to throb and his skin began to feel tight. He started to salivate as his fangs twitched and shrank into his now human mouth. His glorious white hair was slowly turning to gray and then to black. He opened his bark-brown eyes, fearful as he lost all sense of the smells and auras around him.

"KAGOME!" came his loud cry as she was suddenly whisked through the air and disappeared. He was beginning to lose awareness, blackness was enveloping his vision. Now blind, he became aware of the sensation of flying before he was thrust upon the hard, unforgiving ground.

He lost all sensation of time as he lay on the cold earth. As his senses returned and he blinked slowly he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place. He sat up gradually, expecting excruciating pain and was stunned when there was none. Gingerly, he rose from the ground and got unsteadily to his feet. He looked down as he noted the odd sensation of something soft upon his feet.

"Why the hell am I wearing shoes? Wait! Jeans too? What the hell is going on and where is Kagome? KAGOME!" he shouted to no one in particular.

"Mommy, why is that strange man yelling at the birds?" He turned, hysterical towards the source of the voice to see a small boy and his mother walking through the park. A park with street lights and cars. Oh, ! This was… he was...

"Don't make eye-contact, sweetheart, just keep walking." The strange woman looked at him with concern before averting her eyes and ushering the child down the sidewalk and away from him as quickly as possible. He was in Kagome's time.


	3. Mama

Shippo was terrified. Everything around him was loud, and to make matters worse, he was separated from his Mama in all of the chaos. His tiny nose was filled with horrible smells and the air was oppressive all around his tiny body. His paws hurt from running and when he finally slipped on a mass of gray slime and tripped over a tree root, he decided he'd had enough. Salty tears fell from his cerulean eyes and his chest heaved with heavy sobs.

"Mama!" He wailed as he sat rubbing his sore ankle. He was suddenly swept up from behind and tossed into the air, landing in a pile of soft cream-colored fur as a small dark-haired girl clung to him and held him close.

"Shippo! Hold on tight!" It was Rin and Kirara to the rescue. "We'll help you find your mama!"

The trio advanced quickly, the fire-cat taking flight towards the heart of the battle. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha struck the killing blow as they descended and with a piercing shriek, Naraku was no more. Shippo slid quickly from Kirara's back and launched himself at Kagome.

"Mama! Mama, I couldn't find you!" He wailed pitifully.

"Shippo! It's alright, I'm here. Everything is going to be okay." She soothed as she snatched up the kit and cuddled him close to her chest and ran her fingers through the soft fur on his head. She glanced up as she heard sniffling and noticed Rin had followed her adopted child.

"Miss Kagome, Lord Sesshoumaru is gone." She voiced quietly. Sure enough, the demon lord was nowhere to be seen. Surely he wouldn't have abandoned his ward?

"Come here, Rin. We can go find him together in a minute but I think we all need a big hug right now." She pulled the girl into her embrace and held the children tightly, her nose in Shippo's hair.

"Miko," Came the voice of the stoic daiyoukai, "I believe this trinket is your responsibility."

He approached them nearly silently and deposited the now completed jewel into her open hand. Nodding reverently, he turned on his heel to find a vantage point further from the overwhelming smells of the battlefield. Rin jumped up intending to follow her lord.

"Rin. Remain with the kit. This Sesshoumaru requires time to compose himself." He stated firmly. She nodded back at him, uneasy and desiring his reassurance but knowing better than to argue with her lord when he was in an agitated state.

"Yes, my lord." She replied and settled back against Shippo and Kagome. Kagome began to seek out Miroku and Sango when she caught the eye of the flying cat.

Kirara meowed knowingly and trotted over to the small huddle to retrieve the small ones.

"Thank you, Kirara. Kids, I need you to go and sit with Kirara. I want nothing more than to hold you close right now, but it's my job to make sure we get rid of this awful thing once and for all. I'll be back with you before you know it. Do you trust me?"

Shippo gripped onto her shirt harder but knew that his mama was telling the truth. She had obligations that needed to be fulfilled. He was just so afraid that she was going to disappear and he couldn't lose his mother again.

"I promise, Shippo. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, but you know this is something I have to do. I love you, Shippo. You're my baby and I'll always take care of you." She spoke to him tenderly squeezing him harder.

Reluctantly, he released his death-grip on her clothing and nodded.

"I love too, you, Mama." Rin took his hand and hugged him.

"Come on Shippo. Your mama has been showing me how to fix ouchies. Let's go look at your foot." She guided him carefully to the fire-cat who lowered herself so the two could climb up. When they were secured, she moved slowly to a less damaged section of the clearing and settled onto the ground. Shippo still wasn't comfortable being so far away from the woman who had taken care of him when he lost his parents, but he knew he had to trust her. Rin inspected his sore ankle carefully and wrapped it with a length of ribbon. The two worked to calm themselves from the commotion and before he knew it, he was falling fast asleep against the warmth of the feline and his friend.

They were all dozing peacefully as the transformation took place.

"Fear not, brave beast, precious kit, and darling daughter. You will be back with your pack soon. Rest and be at ease." A melodic voice whispered over them as they slumbered. "Your memories as they are cause you pain, but they will not be erased from you. They too will merely sleep until you find each other again."

The presence departed as the magic whisked them away.


	4. Love and Loss

Miroku was distracted from the chaos around him by sudden searing pain shooting through his arm. It was radiating from his palm and he knew at once, that this was it. He was going to die. He fell to his knees as the agony grew more intense. Sango noticed as the monk fell to the ground and rushed to his side.

"No! Stay away!" He begged through his anguish. She halted only momentarily before continuing determinedly. She reached him quickly and knelt beside him pulling him toward her, fearing he would be torn from her embrace by his cursed wind.

"Sango, you have to get away! It's too late! It will take you too! You have to leave!" He pleaded with her. He couldn't bear the thought of the beautiful slayer's destruction at his own damned hand but he didn't have the strength to push her away even to save her life.

"I'm not going anywhere, Houshi!" She was choking back tears as the strong breeze tugged at her, lifting her ponytail and pulling at her clothes. "I already lost my brother, I won't lose you too!" She held him closer as the pain contorted his face into a grimace, the storm raging around them.

The piercing shriek of the defeated Naraku filled the air and the secret lovers turned to face each other. Miroku was still leaning on Sango heavily. As suddenly as it had struck, the pain receded and the purple-eyed priest almost knocked his companion over in shock as his strength returned and the violent winds receded. He pulled his gaze from hers hesitantly as he worriedly looked to his palm. His smooth, unblemished, void-free palm.

When Miroku turned away from her, Sango couldn't bring herself to follow his attention. She instead, retreated into her mind as the thought of losing the only man she had ever loved shattered the remnants of her sanity. Her eyes, unseeing as they were, focused past the back of the monk's head to where Inuyasha stood.

A warmth surrounded the two as they remained each in the world of their minds and they did not hear the whispers as the spell took effect.

"Mama! Hello! Mama!" She shook off her stupor and focused on the children in front of her. One was a dark haired girl in a yellow sundress, the other, a cute auburn haired boy with startling blue-green eyes and freckles. His button nose was scrunched up from yelling as he was trying to get her attention.

"Wha...what? Oh, sorry Ship! I don't know what came over me. It's like I was in another world for a minute there. Are you and Rin ready for school?"

"We're ready, mama." Replied the girl in question, shrugging her backpack onto her shoulders and grabbing her lunch box off of the table.

"Perfect! Now, remember, you're going to be staying in after school workshop with your new teacher because I will be working until dinner time. I'll come to pick you up no later than six. Be excellent and don't give her any trouble, okay?"

"We promise, Mama. We'll be very good for Ms. Kage."

The ride to school was a short one. Sango kissed her kids goodbye and made her way to work. It was an upscale spa and fitness resort where she was an instructor for yoga and kickboxing classes. Ever since the loss of her brother in a tragic car accident, she had been working with a therapist to recover from his death and found that exercise worked very well to keep her from spiraling into depression. Along with caring for her two adopted children her life couldn't be better. Still, she had the strangest feeling that something was missing. She just wished she could remember what it was.

Another day at the spa doing what he enjoyed most in life. Who else could say they got to spend their days getting paid to touch beautiful women? Okay, so they weren't all beautiful. Actually, they weren't all women either. There were a fair few men that came to his little corner of paradise, seeking his services, but he did his best not to dwell on those particular customers. All in all, Miroku felt he had a fine life as he made a living in massage therapy. He was especially thrilled with the addition of the new yoga instructor. He hadn't actually met her face to face yet, but he had spent quite a bit of his free time watching from a distance as she taught her classes. One of these days he was going to have to catch her after class and encourage her to take advantage of his magical hands. Though something told him there was something special about this woman, as beautiful as she was. She didn't seem to be as shallow as many of the women he encountered in his business. With that thought in mind, and the thought that she was more than welcome to use him for much more than his hands, he gathered up his things and prepared to make his way back home.


	5. To the Dogs

Kouga surveyed the absolute destruction surrounding him. His tribe had been decimated. At present, the only survivors he could sense, aside from himself, were Ginta, Hakkaku, and praise the Kami, Ayame. They were all worse for wear and their injuries were severe, but not life-threatening. It would take them a very long time to rebuild, but with the biggest threat to their survival eliminated they had a fighting chance. Still, he was mournful as he assessed the growing numbers of the dead that had fought valiantly alongside the dog brothers to bring the monster down. As much as he and Inuyasha fought, the inu had eradicated the filth that plagued not only his tribe but their entire land and he owed him at least a grudging respect.

There was nothing more they could do at present for the ones who'd lost their lives. Ayame was still in a state of shock as Kouga approached her to inspect her for damage. She had pursued him relentlessly and, even after his declarations about the Miko, Kagome, she wouldn't give up. She only hoped that now he realized her devotion to him was as serious as Kagome's rejection. Wincing, she moved to meet him halfway, the pain in her bruised ribs keeping her actions sedate.

"Ayame! What hurts? Where did you get hit? Let me look at you." Her wolf prince gathered her to him tenderly so as not to exacerbate her wounds. A frown marred his, in her opinion, very attractive face as he carefully checked every inch of her for cuts and broken bones.

"It's okay, Kouga," she rasped quietly, her throat was thick with dust and emotion, "I just hit the ground pretty hard when I was thrown the last time. I think I just bruised a few ribs."

He eyed her with unmasked concern as if doubting her words and settled her head under his chin.

"I know I've been a huge jerk to you, pushing you away all the time, but I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. Can you forgive me for being an oblivious idiot?" His words were sweet and his touch was warm. She settled into his embrace and smirked.

"Oh, Kouga! You don't have to confess to me as though I'm at death's door! You're a stubborn one, but if you're ready to admit you're mine, I won't argue with you. Let's go check on the others and make sure they don't have any lasting damage. We can talk about 'us' after everything is settled."

He looked down at her with a one-fanged grin and nodded as they walked carefully hand-in-hand to check on the rest of their now paltry pack.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Oh, where are you! Lord Sesshoumaru!" squawked a perturbed kappa. Jaken had faithfully served his Lord through innumerable battles and hardships and though this fight had been fierce, it was no different. Just like always, he was repaid for his devotion by getting left behind as the dust settled. "You ungrateful dog! Hmph!"

The small, green, toad-like creature huffed as the air was forced from his lungs. He had collided with something solid and immobile. He glanced up nervously, knowing instinctively that he had made a grave error in judgment in disparaging his Lord within hearing range. Sure enough, the obelisk he had crashed into was none other than the missing daiyoukai.

"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru! I'm so happy to have found you! I was so worried!" the hysterical toad exclaimed in fear and adoration. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he lowered himself to bow before the great lord.

"Jaken, did you really think this Sesshoumaru so weak as to fall in battle to that filthy abomination?" Sesshoumaru replied in his deep rumbling baritone. He put his foot upon his retainer's head as he intermittently applied pressure pushing the kappa face-first into the dirt.

"No my lord! I never doubted your greatness for a moment! Ooof!" Not for the first time in his life Jaken was eating mud-pies at the behest of the demon dog. "How cruel!"

Having his fill of chastisement, Sesshoumaru lifted his foot and began to walk away toward the half-breed's Miko.

"Remain here with Ah-Un. I must return this bothersome trinket to the Miko so she may dispose of it." He rumbled and left the prostrate kappa to his dirt lunch.

Not wanting to further irritate his master, Jaken sprang up, dusted himself off, and made his way to the demonic dragon steed. He hopped up into the saddle of the twin-headed beast and settled in to wait for further instructions.

It was a short while later that he began to feel strange. His scalp was beginning to itch and the air was heavy. His vision became blurry and his mouth felt weird. He reached a flippered hand up to scratch, only to be met with unfamiliar appendages extending from an odd-colored arm. He fell from his perch, but the fall was short and he hit the ground on his fleshy bottom.

"What!?" He exclaimed and was further startled by a snort behind him. He turned slowly and incredulously to stare at the pair of coal-black horses behind him where there once was a single dragon. He was awestruck and his mouth fell open in disbelief. In true Jaken fashion, he fainted.


	6. A Day in the Life

**A Day in the Life**

The shrill screech of the alarm clock cut through the peaceful morning and was silenced as it was thwacked to the floor. Groaning and pulling her hand back under the thick comforter, Kagome attempted to shake the fog from her brain. That had been one strange dream! Deciding it would be unwise to continue lying in bed dwelling on it, she stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had a class to teach and it wouldn't be very professional of her to be late. Glancing irritably at the green glowing numbers, she decided that she had time for a quick shower before breakfast. She rose and gathered the outfit she'd set out the night before and made her way to the bathroom. She took her time letting the steam from the hot water clear her senses as she began running through the day's tasks in her mind. She turned the water off and toweled dry, running a wide-toothed comb through her hair before pulling it up into a messy bun. Satisfied with her appearance, she put on the bright and colorful skirt and solid-colored shirt she'd chosen, slipped on some playful canvas tennis shoes and set her purse and jacket by the door. Glancing once again at the clock, she grabbed her pre-brewed coffee, thanking the gods for programmable coffee machines, and retrieved a yogurt with granola from the fridge. She slipped the snack into her purse, shrugged into her jacket, removed her car keys, and headed out the door.

She had twenty minutes to spare as she unlocked the door to her classroom. She flipped on the lights and looked around. The tables were clean and organized and her instructions were written neatly on the whiteboard. Nodding in satisfaction, she removed her jacket and her purse and draped them over the coat rack. She removed her yogurt from the bag and placed it on her desk. Pulling a folder from the bottom drawer, she made her way to the tables and began setting out coloring pages and crayons for the students to work on until it was time to begin the lessons.

She had just returned to her seat and opened her breakfast when she was interrupted by the sound of jingling keys and footsteps coming down the hall. The image of a holy staff and a black glove shot through her like lightning but it was gone in an instant. Finally, the source of the noise stopped in the open doorway.

"Morning, Kag...ma'am." It was the janitor making his rounds before the start of the school day. He had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore a ball cap with the school logo over the front. He gave her a small wave, a friendly smirk on his face. His tawny eyes twinkled with mirth as if the two of them were sharing a joke.

"Oh! Good morning...er… I apologize, I don't quite remember your name?" Stammered Kagome. Something about this man gave her a headache.

"You can just call me, 'Yash'." He replied as his smile faltered almost imperceptibly. That was confusing. Surely he wasn't that upset that she didn't know his name.

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everything was cleaned up to your liking. I guess I better go finish my rounds. Have a good day wen…uh… Miss Higurashi." The strange man retreated and she was left feeling a bit off-balance. What in the world had he been about to call her?

She was still pondering her strange visitor when the welcome sound of tiny sneakered feet began filtering through the hallway. Her students had arrived and it was time to focus on the present. It was silly to be ruminating on the past anyway.

Inuyasha was silently berating himself. What was he hoping to prove? She still didn't remember him and he almost slipped up and called her 'wench'. That was a very good way to get himself fired. He couldn't go around insulting the rest of the staff! Even though in reality it was a term of endearment. Why did the Kami make it so that he remembered everything but she did not? He'd finally tracked her down to this elementary school, but he didn't want to press his luck. Just because Kouga had remembered with a particular phrase didn't mean Kagome would and if he spoke to her the wrong way, he'd never get close to her again.

He remembered how he'd stumbled upon the once-wolf prince. Ever since he found himself in that park, he'd been searching. First for a way to get back to the shrine and the well, but he soon discovered that he had no idea where he was. The people around him sounded funny and he had the distinct impression that he was no longer in Japan. When he had opened his mouth to ask a passer-by for directions to Tokyo, his ears were amazed as he spoke in the odd dialect without a thought. He was equally dumbfounded when the stranger eyed him warily and started talking about something called a 'taxi' and an 'airplane'. He was terribly lost and confused. Not only was he unsure of his surroundings, but he couldn't even rely on his inu instincts as it soon dawned on him with no little horror, that he was completely one-hundred percent human. It's not that he didn't know how to be mortal. Obviously, he had a taste of humanity once a month in what he was beginning to consider his previous life, but something about this felt so much more permanent. He made up his mind that he was not going to get any answers until he found Kagome. He had to get back to Japan.

Knowing he was not going to get anywhere by standing around and making a spectacle of himself, he made his way toward the weird stone path being taken by the person he had approached. When he came to the end of the walkway where it met the road, he noticed a blue sign with white letters.

"Welcome to Dogtown. Oh, that's not even funny!" He grumbled, his stomach growled in agreement. Before he did anything else, he was going to have to find something to eat. Why couldn't his life ever be easy?


	7. Welcome to Dogtown

Having decided that his stomach couldn't possibly wait, Inuyasha began to seek out some source of food. He knew that in this time, money would be necessary to acquire the things he needed. He continued his trek down the sidewalk toward what appeared to be a huddle of small buildings. Even with his now human nose, he was picking up the aroma of something delicious and he hurried along towards the enticing scent. As he came closer to his destination he also began to pick up the scent of something else, not so pleasant. It was musky and dense, like wet dog. It was a smell he knew instantly.

"You have got to be kidding me." He groaned as he came face to face with the source of the smell. In front of him was a larger building surrounded by a massive fence. Inside were dozens of wolves. Shuddering, he began to back away muttering curses under his breath when he collided with something or rather someone behind him.

"Hey! Watch it!" Shouted the annoyed, feminine voice as he almost knocked over the small, ginger-haired woman. He tripped gracelessly over her foot and almost managed to catch himself but it was not to be and he landed face first on the dusty road. He heard the low rumbling of a warning growl like that of an angry canine and looked up, coming eye-to-eye with a very large and very displeased timber wolf.

"It was an accident, now call off your damn attack dog!" He was irritated at having been caught unawares and he'd be damned if he had spent all that time fighting Kouga off only to be eaten by dog-demon wannabe in this time!

"Maybe I'd be a little more inclined to accept your request if you had apologized. Not only that, but you just ruined my lunch!" The woman was indignant and stamped her foot. "It should be a crime to mess with a pregnant woman's food!"

At her declaration, Inuyasha jerked his gaze to the woman, taking his eyes off of the snarling wolf. Oh boy, was he in trouble. Standing before him was a very irate, and very pregnant, Ayame. A gray t-shirt advertising "Dogtown Wolf Sanctuary" stretched across her expansive middle.

"Ayame?" He gaped incredulously "How did you get here?"

She glanced at the black-haired buffoon in mild shock but schooled her features not to show that he'd surprised her.

"I walked, the same as you. How do you know my name? I think I'd remember a bumbling fool like you."

"So your memories are gone? Okay, this shit keeps getting weirder and weirder." He mumbled to himself. "So if you're here, Kouga must be around somewhere too."

Ayame was again, taken aback by this stranger who apparently knew all about her personal life. The wolf beside her was still on-guard keeping the bizarre man on the ground.

"Enough Tae! Let him up! Down girl!" She instructed the canine.

Inuyasha got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his jeans.

"Thanks." He said, grudgingly. "So, you didn't answer my question. If you're here, where's Kouga?"

"Kouga is inside with one of the new rehabs. Have we met? You're starting to freak me out." She backed up, leaning into the wolf at her side for protection.

"I guess you could say that. Look, I didn't mean to scare you or anything. Kouga and I kind of go way back. I haven't seen him in a long time," he inwardly chuckled as he considered how far through time they must have traveled "could you take me to him? He and I have some serious catching up to do. I have a bit of a problem he may be able to help me with." He couldn't believe he was going to ask the wolf prince for help with anything, but if he knew Kouga, he would be able to help him get to Kagome.

Still unsure, Ayame nodded and kept her hand on the pepper spray in her pocket, just in case.

"I don't believe I caught your name Mr…" She stammered.

"Uh, just call me Yash. My real name is a little bit strange. My parents had a warped sense of humor."

"Okay, Yash. Right this way." She led the man up onto the wooden deck of the Dogtown Wolf Sanctuary building and buzzed him into the lobby, the wolf turned to stare at him one last time before following her mistress.

"Wait here. I'll go get my husband for you."

Husband! So the wolf had actually married her! He had his suspicions but he knew better than to pick a fight with a pregnant woman. Destroying her lunch was bad enough.

A few moments later, a tall man with dark-brown short cropped hair and blue eyes entered the lobby. His stance was relaxed but his face was anything but calm.

"Can I help you?" He ground out. Clearly, his wife had told him about their encounter outside.

"Wow, Kouga. You really look different, but you sure smell like the same old mangy wolf!" Inuyasha doubled over with laughter as the man stared down at him with disdain.

A sudden clarity came over Kouga, as though he was waking from a dream.

"Oh yeah, dog-breath? How about you come over here and say that to my face!" He grinned as the shorter man wheezed and stood rigid in surprise.

"You remembered?" He was leery of the sudden change in Kouga's demeanor.

"I do now. I didn't know who the hell you were when you walked through that door five minutes ago, but as soon as you called me a mangy wolf, it's like someone turned the lights on in a dark room." Kouga stared at him in disbelief. "What happened to you? Did Kagome wish you human or something?"

Inuyasha glared at him and then realized what he was talking about. He wasn't exactly the snow-haired, dog-eared hanyou that Kouga remembered.

"It is a long story, lemme tell ya," he answered measuredly. His stomach chose that moment to announce its displeasure. "Uh, I hate to impose, but do you have anything to eat?"


	8. School Daze

A few weeks later, Kagome and her students had settled into a comfortable routine. They would work on coloring pages, and have writing practice in the morning before snack, and have circle time and reading groups before lunch, the all-important midday meal. Then they would have a brief nap period before moving on to more brainy pursuits such as math and science. After school, she would stay with a few of her pupils providing an after-school program for children whose parents had to work late. Aside from the encounter with the peculiar janitor in her classroom the first day, she really hadn't seen much of him, a fact she was grateful for. She couldn't seem to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that he was still lurking around and she really didn't want to run into him when she had students with her. Something about the odd man really made her head hurt.  
Her luck ran out one afternoon when the last few children were picked up and she was locking the classroom to leave. She had to go to the store before she returned home. She was certain the milk was getting ready to achieve sentience. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed him approach until she was nose to chest with the man himself.  
"Ah!" she screamed, startled from her musings over her shopping list as she collided with a solid mass of muscle.  
"Just the person I wanted to see!" Chuckled Inuyasha, reaching out to steady her shoulders. "I found this really neat place nearby that I thought you'd want to check out. I know you've been teaching a unit about zoology in your classes and thought your students would like to check out the local rescue sanctuary. Might be a cool field trip! I've got a couple of friends that offered to give tours."  
Kagome was still stunned. He was just a janitor, how did he know in-depth details about her lesson plans? She involuntarily shuddered at the thought that he'd been spying on her. All of those times she felt like she was being watched she had just brushed it off as an overactive imagination. She was going to have to learn to trust her instincts!  
"Uh, thanks. Yash, was it? I'll look into it. I appreciate the tip." She nervously backed away, pulling herself a bit more forcefully out of his grip than necessary. "Sorry for running into you, but I have to go. I have errands to run so, catch you later." With that, she turned heel and hurried off as quickly as she could, uncaring if she appeared rude.  
"Sure! See ya around!" He half whispered the second half of the statement. Damn, now he really had scared her off. He didn't mean to sneak up on her but he really wanted her to go to the sanctuary! Maybe seeing Kouga and Ayame would help release her memories. If not, being fawned over by Ginta and Hakkaku who thought of her like a sister was sure to do the trick. The two ex-wolves were also working at the sanctuary, having been implicitly drawn to their leader upon their arrival in the future. It seemed some instincts were impossible to suppress.  
Kagome had fled to the parking lot, locking her door as she got in the car. She was probably being ridiculous. It's not like Yash had tried to harm her in any way, but whenever he was around she just got a feeling of wrongness, like he wasn't supposed to touch her. When he grabbed her shoulders it sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine. She felt, rather than heard the word _'mine'_ echo through her and it distressed her. Now that she was an anxious bundle of nerves, she wasn't so sure that going to the grocery store was such a good idea. In fact, driving right now didn't sound like a very good choice at all. Maybe the eggs in her refrigerator wouldn't get up and walk away just yet. She really needed to get out of that parking lot and put some distance between herself and the school though. She remembered that Sango, the mom of the twins in her class was a kickboxing instructor at the ritzy spa across town. Maybe if she had a way to defend herself, she would stop feeling so nervous. She really didn't think the odd-ball janitor was going to hurt her, but he just made her so anxious! Making up her mind, she decided that she would speak with her when she came to pick up the kids after school tomorrow to see about getting some instruction in self-defense.


	9. The Huntress and the Hentai

Finally, the weekend had arrived. Kagome had been anxiously awaiting the break from classes to follow-up on her plan of seeking out self-defense classes from Sango, the mother of the twins. The entire rest of the week she had been on edge, expecting Yash to pop out from one of the many dark, isolated corners of the building. She'd even taken to eating lunch in her car instead of in her classroom so that she could get away in a hurry should the need arise. This was ridiculous! There was no reason she should be living her life in fear! Maybe she really had misjudged the poor man, but she just got an uneasy feeling she could not shake when he was around. Maybe once she'd had a few kickboxing lessons, she could stop being so paranoid and cut him some slack. She couldn't avoid him forever. After all, given their proximity due to their respective jobs, it was inevitable that they would run into each other again at some point. With this thought solidified in her mind, she got dressed in the athletic wear she'd purchased that morning and set off for the spa.

Sango was surprised to see Kagome when she arrived at work. They got along well when she would come to pick up Shippo and Rin from the after-school program, but the kind and quiet schoolteacher didn't seem like the type of person who would be interested in kickboxing. What disturbed her further was finding out that the sweet woman was having problems with a creepy coworker. She had no doubts that the children were safe at school, but the fact that their teacher was dealing with a situation like this was upsetting. Kagome had been hesitant to tell her the story at first. She didn't want to paint Yash in a disparaging light due to what could be just a misunderstanding, but Sango was adamant that instincts were there for a reason and praised the woman for coming to her for help when something didn't seem right.

"What you need is a massage to get your mind off of things. When you're calm and relaxed, we can talk about self-defense and situational awareness. I promise you'll feel much better about things once you have your mind and body at ease and in sync. Miroku is off today, but I have no doubts when he hears about your problem he'll be happy to help!" She made a mental note to warn her about the man's somewhat notorious habit of being a little too friendly with his more attractive customers but decided for the moment that the last thing Kagome needed was another weirdo to worry about.

Miroku was enjoying a lazy day-off curled up in bed with the latest best-selling romance novel and a cup of coffee when the sound of the phone ringing jarred him from his drowsy comfort. He reached over to the nightstand intending to reject the call, but his sudden movement disturbed his cream and black colored cat who had been slumbering on his feet. Startled from her dozing by the loud noise and sudden movement, she panicked, her fur standing on end, and jumped at his chest, clinging to the bare skin with razor-sharp claws. Hot coffee went everywhere, burning Miroku on the now talon-shredded skin and soaking the erstwhile demon feline. With an otherworldly yowl, she darted under the bed, soaking the sheets and carpet and leaving a dark trail of liquid in her wake. Cursing loudly, he reluctantly answered the phone.

"Miroku speaking." He ground out, irritated and trying to stem the bleeding cuts with the flat sheet of his bed. The four angry red lines soaked through the fabric instantly. Getting those stains out was not going to be an entertaining prospect.

"Hey Miroku, this is Sango from the health club. I have a customer here that could really use your expertise today. Seems her nerves have been quite strained from dealing with a pushy coworker," she added an amused, "not that we ever have problems like that, right Miroku? Anyway, I think she definitely could use your brand of therapy today. Can you fit her into your schedule? I know it's supposed to be your day off, but we both know you're just sitting around your house reading smutty books and she really needs your help."

"My dearest Sango, you wound my pride! I would never be so crude as to impose my person onto a fellow associate. For your information, 'The Cursed Cleric' is anything but a trashy novel! If you must know, however, my plans have hit quite the snag this weekend so I may be available. On a related note, do you know of anyone who may be looking to adopt a cat? Kirara seems to have turned into a one-cat death machine and I'd like to remain living."

"Feline trouble? I don't believe it one bit. That cat is an angel! Are you going to bring her to work? Your clients seem to love her. Anyway, what time can you get here?"

"Would you believe she attacked me unprovoked and tried to murder me with hot liquid? The phone startled her and she is cowering in her lair. If I can bribe her out from under the bed and get these awful cuts cleaned up, I can be there within the hour."

After a pleasant good-bye, he ended the call and worked his way to the bathroom to get cleaned up, depositing his soiled bedding in the hamper. After he had showered and tended to his injuries, he retrieved the pet carrier and began the task of luring the flighty feline out from under the bed where she'd sought refuge. Maybe telling Sango that they'd be ready in an hour had been pushing it, he reflected, as the creature in question glared at him and growled from the safety of her fabric cave.

Miroku had successfully corralled his now aromatic pet, and with the aid of a can of tuna fish, managed to avoid her dangerous claws as he coaxed her into the carrier. They departed for the spa and arrived with only a few moments to spare. He unlocked his office leading to a group of rooms, each featuring a massage table and various relaxing elements. He chose a room with a stereo and selected a playlist featuring rain and waterfalls before freeing Kirara from her confinement to roam the peaceful room. He turned on the lotion heater and the towel cabinet and put a lavender wax tart in the warmer before heading for the instruction rooms to find Sango and his new customer.

"The zen garden is not a litter box." He warned the feline before going to the door. She merely turned a nonplussed eye to him before settling into a beanbag chair in the corner to complete her nap which had been so rudely interrupted earlier in the morning. Distracted, Miroku failed to notice when the door didn't shut all the way behind him.

They located him in the hallway making his way to the fitness section of the building, the twins in tow. One of the benefits of the health club was the weekend daycare for instructors and Sango took full advantage of keeping her children close when circumstances allowed. At the moment, they were chatting animatedly with their teacher about the upcoming field trip to the local sanctuary. Kagome had decided that while the encounter with Yash about her lessons had been disturbing, the suggestion was a good one. Sango turned to ask a question, when she ran directly into Miroku, knocking them both to the ground.

"Mama!" Cried the twins in concern, rushing to her side. Kagome froze. Suddenly, warmth filled her brain as flashes of auburn fur and tiny paws began filling her mind. A dam had burst and the memories started to flow rapidly back into place.

"Shippo!" She cried reaching for her once-kitsune child as he turned, eyes wide. He began to sniffle and he felt the moisture gathering to flow down his face.

"Kagome!" He flung himself into her open arms and threw his tiny arms around her neck, holding on as though she would vanish.

Sango looked on in awe as the truth was revealed to the small group gathered in the hallway. She was startled from the heartwarming scene as she became aware of her own predicament, sped along by the sensation of a warm appendage massaging her generous bottom.

"HENTAI!" she shrieked at the individual she was currently pressing into the floor, aiming a blow at his head.

Miroku faltered and a glazed look came over his face. Sango likewise froze as they gazed at each other, the breath stolen from their lungs.

"Only for you, my love," Miroku whispered tenderly, the first to recover as he gently drew her face to him to place a soft kiss on her startled lips. She threw her arms around him and returned the kiss with fervor.

Rin stood befuddled at the scene in front of her. She jumped as a small tan-colored cat wrapped its way around her legs, glancing up at her and meowing to be picked up. She couldn't take it anymore. Her face scrunched up in a frown and she drew in a huge breath.

"What the heck is going on here?!"


	10. Delirium

The air was warm and sticky with humidity and the atmosphere buzzed with the sound of summer insects. A lone figure, surrounded by tall grasses and trees, wandering the clearing aimlessly, haunted eyes seeing nothing as he paced in circles. His sense of time had vanished with his pack and his heritage. In the deepest recesses of his mind, he pondered all that had just occurred.

His first observation upon waking in the unfamiliar landscape was that he couldn't smell or sense anything around him, even though he could faintly hear creatures moving around him. He had given a frustrated growl, only to panic, when an unfamiliar voice released from his throat. He had glanced down to his claws, only to find short human fingers and pathetically blunt nails. The place on his arms where he once had beautiful stripes, a mark of his lineage and his place as a noble demon, he now possessed a vast expanse of milky and unblemished pale skin. He grit his teeth and found to his disgust, that he no longer possessed fangs. Spying a shallow pool of water a few paces from where he currently sat against a large tree, he rose to get a better look at the face he now suspected was no longer his own. He stared down at the reflective surface in revulsion as the truth was clear. His majestic golden eyes were now a duller and clearly more human amber-brown and his luxurious silver hair was a shade closer to platinum blonde. There was no moon on his brow and no stripes graced his still perfect cheekbones. What he thought was merely a bad dream had become a living nightmare. He pinched his face, begging to any deity that would listen to let him wake from this reality, but instead, he heard the whispers of a voice in his rounded human ears.

"Once great demon lord, do not mourn for that which you believe is lost. You have been gifted with a new life free from the suffering of your past. The worries you held, caused by the great evil that was defeated, have been resolved. We have done all we can to allow you to begin healing from the wounds of your mind, but you must do the rest. When you are ready to let go of your prejudice, you shall have unreserved joy and happiness for the rest of your days. Farewell, honorable prince. May you learn the worth of love without conditions."

"This Sesshoumaru tires of your games. Your riddles mean nothing. You will immediately tell this one what you have done with his pack and fix the harm you have wrought upon my person. If you comply adequately, you will be allowed the privilege of a quick and painless death." He reached for his swords, but his eyes widened in disbelief as he grasped air. Had they stolen his swords as well? This would not stand. Someone was definitely going to die for this grave offense.

"Foolish child, you believe you can kill a god? No, this opportunity is a gift from the guardian herself. Her unselfish desires have earned this honor for you and for those she holds dear. If you choose to remain stubborn and deny your fate, the punishment is your own. Learn to adapt to your new situation, or live in a torment of your own making. This is your choice. Choose wisely."

He felt the absence of the presence immediately and cursed, punching the surface of the small puddle in front of him and scrambling the adulterated image of 'his' face. Roaring from his now human throat, he poured his rage into the sky. Birds took flight and the chirping sounds of the insects ceased as the atmosphere grew cold. Not knowing what else to do, he stood and began to walk, fighting to calm his inner confusion and turmoil. If the gods would not fix this injustice, he'd just have to find a way to do it on his own. Gods or no gods, he would find his pack and return things the way they were supposed to be.

He walked to the edge of the clearing and entered the treeline only to be thrown back to the middle of the clearing. Had he still been an immortal being, he would have brushed himself off and made a new attempt, but in this new mortal body, the blow had done damage. Already he could feel the bruise on the back of his head and his vision was swimming, greens and blues running together as he gazed up at the sky. His ears were ringing as he heard the final message from the invisible entity.

"Do you understand now, stubborn dog? Make your peace here in this bower or you shall never leave!"


	11. Stop Following Me!

The little girl's exclamation hit the room like a bucket of ice water. Sango and Miroku, suddenly very aware of two sets of adolescent eyes burning into them, separated rapidly, cheeks decorated with a deep shade of scarlet. Kagome held onto Shippo as though she was drowning and he was a life vest. She attempted to rub his little kitsune ears for comfort, but when she met nothing but hair, she realized the implication.

"Shippo! Your ears! They're not… You're not…" she stammered incoherently.

His eyes widened as he reached quickly for the spot where his tail was supposed to be. He separated himself from her grip and jumped to the ground. Pulling a pebble from his pocket, he launched it down the hallway, releasing a command.

"Foxfire!" The pebble skipped off of the floor, bouncing a handful of times before coming to rest near the wall. Nothing else happened and he turned to her in shame and confusion.

She gathered him back into her arms, cuddling him close. Just when she thought everything was starting to make sense, it was all falling apart.

'Oh Ship, it's okay. I don't know what happened, but the important thing is I've found you. We can figure the rest out later. One day at a time, okay?" She spoke softly, soothing the child who had just discovered that he was no longer a kitsune.  
Sango flicked her eyes over to Rin, who was sitting on the floor stroking a purring feline as she tried in vain not to cry. Her heart went out to the little girl and she rushed to her side.

"Oh sweetheart, don't cry. Everything will be alright. I know this is very strange for you."

Rin sniffled and nodded her head. She looked up at the woman she had believed was her mother and her tears returned with a vengeance. She wailed and threw herself into Sango's waiting arms, displacing the cat for the second time that day.

"Sango! I know you're not really my mommy, but where will I go? I'm so scared! Don't leave me!" the small girl was distraught.

Kagome and Shippo rushed over and embraced the child and the ex-slayer. Miroku looked on, unsure what he should do to help. Noticing that Kirara had escaped from the office, he collected the feline and approached the huddle.

"Rin, we're your family, even if it's not by blood. We all love you very much and we would never abandon you. This is a strange and confusing time for all of us, but we'll get through it together." he reassured, his eyes meeting Sango's.

"Woah, am I interrupting something?" Came a loud voice from down the hall in the direction of the gym. Inuyasha had come to the spa for his morning training. It was something he decided was a good idea to maintain, even if he was completely human now. Maintaining a few of his old habits helped with the transition into his new life and kept the crushing depression at bay.

Kagome glanced up, instantly on alert. Fear spread through her like a wildfire when she spotted Yash heading their direction. Somehow, he'd found her. She fought the urge to flee, taking strength from the friends that surrounded her.

"Sango! That's the stalker!" She cried out and turned to the interloper, "You're freaking me out! Stop following me!"

"Oi, wench! I ain't stalking anybody! Being in the same room…" he trailed off as a warm, electric feeling buzzed in the air enveloping all of those present. It grew unnaturally silent and still. Like a clap of thunder, the life returned to the room and everyone began talking over one another as they realized who was standing in front of them. He looked strange with his black hair and human eyes.

Even without his demon hearing, his head was starting to hurt from all of the noise.

"Enough!" he shouted, stunning them all into silence, "Lemme guess? Your memories just came back? Good. Now that's out of the way and things can go back to normal."

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was you! You look so much different and every time you were near me, it made my head hurt! I was afraid you were just a creepy weirdo, especially after that comment about my lessons." Kagome was beyond apologetic and bordering on frantic. She couldn't believe she'd been thinking those things about the half-demon boy that had been her best friend.

"Yeah, well now you know I'm not, so don't worry about it. Besides, I had a reason for mentioning the field trip and it wasn't just because of your lessons. There's someone there you should probably go see. I'm guessing you still have some holes to fill in and I think they'll be able to help." The fact that she called him a creep stung a bit more than he'd care to admit, but it didn't matter as much now that she had her memories and knew that he was never going to hurt her.

The chaos settled around them and it was decided that they would follow Inuyasha to the sanctuary. There was still an impending feeling of emptiness in her heart and Kagome decided that maybe she'd been fooling herself into believing her quiet, empty life was all she'd had to look forward to. With a renewed sense of purpose, she set out towards a new adventure with the best friends she could ever ask for. Boring and safe was overrated and there were bigger and better things out there waiting for her. She could almost taste it.


	12. And Then He Saved Me

Though he'd lost his demon abilities, it seemed the Kami had gifted him with new skills to replace them. Still, the sight of Inuyasha using a cell phone struck Kagome as odd and she had to look away as he called up his friends at Dogtown to let them know he was bringing visitors. He wouldn't tell her who they were going to go see, afraid that meddling too much might cause her memories to get stuck and he didn't want to press his luck. Getting Kagome and the others to Kouga's was as far as he was willing to help. He just hoped it would be enough.

Miroku and Sango locked up their respective offices and the strange group progressed to the parking lot. They split up into two vehicles where it was decided that Shippo and Rin would go with Sango, the children still being small were required to be in car seats, and Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kirara would all travel together in Inuyasha's car. Shippo begged at the last minute for Kagome to ride along in their jeep, having been reunited with his mother less than an hour prior. She agreed, as the idea of Inuyasha driving a car was just too much for her to take in at the moment. The arrangements were finalized and at last and the tiny convoy journeyed onward.

As they pulled into the parking lot in front of the stucco-covered building and near the large fence, Rin became withdrawn. Kouga and Ayame were waiting for them on the deck, Tae at their side. Kagome helped Shippo out of his seat and set him down on the ground when a scream of terror sounded from the other side of the door. Sango had gone to unbuckle Rin from her seat, but the girl refused to get out of the car, her eyes filled with anxiety and tears.

"No! Get it away! Don't let them eat me! I don't want to die!" She sobbed, pushing her small body into the back of her seat and holding onto the straps for dear life. Sango was bewildered and looked to Kagome for guidance. She'd never seen the girl so tormented.

"Rin, shh, it's okay! We're all right here. What's the matter? Nobody is going to hurt you!"

Kouga glanced at Inuyasha with a worried look on his face. He whispered something to Ayame who nodded her head and took Tae back into the office. At once, Rin was sedate, though salty moisture still trailed down her puffy cheeks. Ayame returned, Ginta and Hakkaku in tow. They had heard the commotion and had come to investigate.

"What's wrong with the kid?" Ginta asked, approaching the fretful child.

The movement caught her attention and she began once again thrashing in her seat.

"Woah! Okay, calm down!" he stuck his hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender and backed away.

Rin's tantrum was beginning to attract the attention of more than just their small group, and soon the sound of hoofbeats could be heard coming down the dirt road. A flighty looking blonde-haired man leading two horses approached cautiously. The black beasts snorted nervously, and one of them stuck its large nose in the car to snuff the source of the unrest. Rin stilled instantly as the warm breath hit her in the face. Carefully she reached a small hand out to the equine, letting it sniff her open palm before placing it gently upon his snout. Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline as she stared at the animal.

"Un." The single syllable was all it took. The spell was shattered and she hurled herself out of the seat and attached herself to his face in joy, completely forgetting the presence of the wolves.

The blonde stood dumbfounded and Ah fought to get free. He released the reigns, numb, as the twin horses nuzzled the girl. They retreated enough to allow her egress from the car and sat patiently on the ground waiting for her to approach. Settled comfortably between her two large protectors as she stroked their shiny manes, she finally turned to look at the astonished adults.

"Rin?" Jaken whispered, convinced that the small being before him was an apparition that would vanish the moment he blinked. His voice, once a screech was now a soft tenor. He fell to his knees, his face in his hands. Hearing the disbelieving remark, Rin turned in the direction of the voice to see an unfamiliar man kneeling on the ground. His medium-length blonde hair spilled over his face as he sobbed into his hands. Something about him was tugging at her soul. She crawled over hesitantly, not caring about the dirt she was gathering on her clothing. She peeked up at him and reached out for his hand.

He felt the tentative touch on the back of his hand and slowly lowered them from his face to peer at the baby angel in front of him. He thought he would never see her again. He didn't have a clue where he should start searching and had resigned himself to living with the memories of their time together. Even though he didn't show it, pretending to be inconvenienced by her presence most of the time, this little girl was his whole world. His loyalty to Sesshoumaru would never be called into question, but he placed Rin above even his undying devotion to his Lord.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I don't think I know who you are yet. I don't think I'm supposed to be afraid of you though." She reached for his hand again and led him over to the group. He followed sedately until she came to an abrupt halt in front of the sanctuary and darted behind him trembling.

"It's the wolves," he murmured to the shocked onlookers. He wasn't surprised they hadn't made the connection, "Rin was murdered by wolves in our time."

He could tell that the quivering behind him had ceased and she let go of the back of his shirt.

"He saved me. I was dead. They were going to eat me, but he took me away from them. Lord Sesshoumaru brought me home." Her heavy admission shook them all from their stupor.

"Jaken, can we go home now? I want to see my daddy." she was sure of it now. This was her protector, the one who watched over her when Sesshoumaru had to be away.

The question pierced through the veil that had been shrouding the rest of their memories. A confusing mix of emotions assaulted them from every angle as their last memories before the jewel had been purified came back full force.

Sesshoumaru. He was the one that was missing. Kagome could feel his loss intensely now and the pain shook her to the core. An unearthly lament tore from her throat before she blacked out.


	13. The Demon You Know

He was still stuck in this infernal forest grove. Every time he tried to leave, he found himself flung back into his prison, none too gently. After the handful of times, he'd managed to get himself knocked out or severely injured, he'd taken to carefully patrolling the perimeter lost in thought. His human body healed very slowly without the benefit of his demon powers and it would do no good to get himself killed in this purgatory.

The gods weren't so cruel as to let him starve to death while he fought with his aptly named inner demons and every morning, he would stumble upon some form of sustenance. He fought against it, at first. He would not rely on the charity of an invisible entity to survive and he stubbornly refused to consume human food. He still deemed the act below him, but finally, hunger won out and he grudgingly began to eat the provided nourishment. He needed to survive, that didn't mean he had to like it. The answers he sought were slow in coming and only led to more questions. He was a solitary being, but the longer he went without the contact of another living thing, the more quickly he began to feel quite keenly the absence of his traveling companions. He feared he may lose what was left of his sanity if he didn't find a way out soon.

His ruminations had taken an uncomfortable turn lately and he was forced to confront head-on his deeply rooted feelings of hatred toward his half-brother. Truth be told, his reasons for despising the hanyou were not solely his fault. Maybe things would have been different if they had truly been brothers, but Sesshoumaru was having trouble forgiving his father's role in their adversity. Inu were supposed to be loyal and it wasn't Inuyasha's fault their father had cheated on Sesshoumaru's mother, but his infidelity had driven a sizable wedge through their family. Had Inutaisho not abandoned them, maybe his mother would have been the caring and nurturing woman she should have been and he would not have become such a cold and unfeeling creature.

When Rin came into his life, the icy shell around his heart had started to thaw just a little. He firmly believed humans had their place, and it wasn't with him, but the little girl had wormed her way into his good graces before he realized what was happening. This too led him to the conclusion that maybe he didn't hate all humans, but the woman who had torn his family apart still held his loathing. It was this reasoning that had him shunning the romantic overtures of the females in his court. Women were not to be trusted. He would never risk taking a homewrecker to his bed.

Little by little he found himself letting go of his malice toward his brother as they began to encounter each other with increasing frequency during the hunt for Naraku and the jewel. He didn't back down from a challenge when it presented itself, but his heart just wasn't in the fight. He no longer sought to end Inuyasha's life over his father's fang. He had wanted his brother's sword because he believed that his father owed it to him for betraying his mother and leaving them to fend for themselves. He was resentful that the bastard child had received such favor while he had been left in the cold and desired to take it from him in a misguided act of revenge against their sire. He had banished enough ill-will that when the time came for the final battle, they were able to work together nearly seamlessly to take down their shared enemy.

He directed his thoughts away from Inuyasha and his father. They were leading to questions he knew he wasn't ready to consider. It seemed his brother had no shortage of luck when it came to those who cared for him. Their father had chosen to die to protect the whelp, and though he detested the woman whose name he would not honor by thinking it, she too had done all she could to protect him until her death. He had even had the affections of a holy priestess, though he had squandered it in his lust for power, all thanks to his human weakness.

Then there was Kagome…No he refused to let his thoughts linger on her. He would lose his mind completely if he didn't stop there. He had to get out of this confinement and soon.

When Kagome regained consciousness, she found herself spread out on a large, unfamiliar cream-colored was dozing in a matching armchair adjacent to her feet and the judging by the orange tinted light filtering through the window blinds, the sun was beginning to set. She stretched stiffly and scooted into a sitting position as she looked around.

"You're awake," he yawned, and scratched his head in an undeniably dog-like fashion, "feeling up to visitors? The kit is going nuts with worry out there."

She nodded once and pulled the blanket that had been draped over her up around her shoulders. He eyed her over carefully before inclining his head in agreement and going to the door.

There was a commotion and her friends came flooding in, lead by Shippo who rushed over and threw himself onto the couch next to her to snuggle into her side.

"Are you okay, mama? We were so worried about you!" He hugged tightly to her waist and she lazily draped an arm around his small shoulders.

"I'll be alright, Shippo, I'm just kind of in shock. I can't believe I didn't remember him. I could feel that something was wrong. Why couldn't I remember?" Her focus was far away and as they all looked at her, they knew her attention was on a being that was not in the room.

"Don't worry about the bast...uh, my brother, Kagome. I'm sure he's fine wherever he is. We're all here in one piece and he is the toughest out of all of us. He's probably off doing his own thing now that he doesn't have anything to worry about."

Inuyasha's words did nothing to assuage her fears. Something was wrong, she could sense it. Her miko powers were long gone, but her instincts were still very much intact and they set her on edge whispering danger.

"That's just it, Yash," she said, using his human name, "we're all here. Together. You have changed so much because of the jewel. Even Jaken and Ah-Un have been transformed completely, but Sesshoumaru must be completely alone. He was the strongest of anyone. His pride was built upon being the strongest and most powerful demon that ever lived. What if he was changed too? I'm certain he has been. You know how he feels about humans. When he realizes what has happened and he loses everything that made up his identity, how is he going to react? He's going to be completely broken and he doesn't even have one friend to help him through it."

Inuyasha cringed as the full weight of her words hit him. Sesshoumaru was strong, that was true, but he knew that no matter how physically powerful his half-brother was, there was still weakness in his soul as a result of their father's dereliction. He knew the taiyoukai would have ended his own life before admitting it, but he was damaged.

Jaken chose that moment to interject.

"Miss Kagome, I know the great lord better than anyone. If ever there was a person who could find him and bring him back to his previous glory, it's you. I have faith in you. Rin, Ah-Un, and I will follow you in whatever you decide." The former kappa bowed low, an awkward gesture in his new body.

The show of loyalty awakened something in Kagome. If Sesshoumaru's most trusted companion believed she could find him, maybe she should believe in herself. All hope was not yet lost. Somehow the others had managed to find her, she had to trust that they would be reunited as well. She pushed aside the self-doubt telling her he wouldn't want to be found, especially by her, and resolved that she would do everything in her power to bring him home.


	14. A Close Call

Kagome's 'little meltdown' as Inuyasha chose to call it, had caused some very uncomfortable feelings to stir within him. While he knew logically, after the whole debacle with Kikyo, that Kagome wasn't his in a romantic way he still felt the overwhelming need to protect her and help guard her heart. She was still his best friend, even if their feelings didn't progress past those of close family and he definitely did not want to see her get hurt. Seeing her subconscious reaction to the revelation of his half-brother's heavy absence left little doubt in his mind that something was going on below the surface. The two had been agreeable when they traveled together but were never friends. They were allies, nothing more, working together to find the means to an end. He strongly doubted she was aware of how powerful her outburst had been if she was even cognizant of it at all. He hoped against hope that it was wrought out of the deep compassion she held for her companions, and not because she had somehow developed feelings for the prince of frostbite. Sesshoumaru didn't just dislike humans, he loathed them and he feared what it would do to her when she was inevitably rejected, provided of course that they could even find him in the first place. If Kagome's suspicions were true, and the great dog had also been transfigured into a mortal being, they were going to be dealing with one enraged ex-pooch and the unwelcome romantic overtures of a human female were likely to push him over the edge. He decided that no matter what happened, he would continue to protect Kagome, even if it was from herself and the mistakes she had yet to make.

"So, do we have any idea where we should start looking?" She pulled him from his musings and addressed the group before her. They were all seated in one of the conference rooms at the sanctuary discussing battle-plans as it were. "I mean, we all ended up in pretty much the same general area. That means he should be close-by, right?"

"Your logic is sound. Ordinarily, I'd ask why we haven't heard any rumors of strange happenings in the area where he is concerned, but given the circumstances, I do wonder how much he truly has changed. It could be that he is avoiding trouble." Miroku mused out loud. "As you mentioned before, it's possible that given his strictly held views he has had quite some difficulty in adapting to his new station. Maybe his prejudices have pushed him to limit contact with the world around him. We may be better off seeking him out in a more remote and less inhabited area."

Many around the table nodded in agreement. Kagome deflated. She really hoped this could be simple, but her life rarely ever was. Glancing down at the map they had put together, she had an idea. Maybe if they plotted out the sites of the first places they remembered, it would lead them to new clues. Each individual received a push pin to place on the map. When they were finished, she tied the pins together with string to find a pattern, but nothing obvious caught her attention. She sighed in frustration, sitting with her head in her hands.

"Don't give up, Kagome! We've only just found everyone else in the last week! Try to be patient. There's no reason to get too upset right now." Ayame reassured her, patting her on the back. She accepted her comfort gratefully.

"Maybe there's something obvious that we're missing. If I were a great demon lord who suddenly found myself turned into a human and thrust into a busy city, where would I go to think about my situation?" prompted Kouga.

Inuyasha scoffed, "As far from civilization as humanly possible! That icicle ass probably booked it for the nearest desert, tundra, or volcano he could! The more hostile the environment, the better!" He received a handful of answering glares from Kagome and Sango as they covered the children's' ears, protecting them from his colorful language.

"When traveling with the lord, we took our rest in forest clearings. He preferred to have a view of the sky. I believe that's how he was able to navigate so well." Supplied Jaken.

Nodding, Kagome assessed the map and found that the entire city was surrounded by forests and parks. Narrowing it down would be difficult.

"I guess our best option is to divide and conquer. Let's start with the lesser-known parks. There are a few that don't get as much traffic. If we strike out there, we can come back here to regroup."

The arrangements were made and they all split up. With no wandering demons inhabiting the land, it wasn't necessary for them to go in groups and they could cover more ground one-on-one so they were each assigned an area and a time to meet back at the sanctuary.

It was nearly nightfall and Sesshoumaru retired to the shade of the large tree near the edge of the clearing. He was thankful that he did not have to concern himself with the weather because, in his current predicament, he would not be able to clear the treeline to take the necessary shelter. Clearly an oversight on the part of his invisible captors. He had once again lost track of time since he'd been stuck in this forest and he was beginning to give into the weakness that was human depression. Neither the questions he pondered nor the peace he seemed to make with his past, had fulfilled the conditions necessary to release himself from his cage. He was the strongest demon of his age and yet, even a powerful being such as himself had limits to their determination.

He wondered, not for the first time, what had happened to the others and why he was here alone. He thought it must be due to his desire for solitude in the past. The Killing Perfection had no need of distractions or the nuisances known as friends, but here and now he was learning to be lonely. It made him uncomfortable and he hated being uncomfortable. Physically, his human muscles were tired, his body was beginning to wear down from his constant pacing and the odd clothing in which he was attired was now dusty and holes were forming in the bottoms of the strange footwear. Emotionally too, he was spent, having fought desperately to hold on to what remained of his rationality. He had even let his control slip and began to ponder the previously forbidden thoughts of the miko. The deity had hinted that this punishment was because of her wish. If this was the torment inflicted upon her once-enemies, what torment could she have brought upon the ones she called friends?

Aside from his ill-attempt to liquefy her at their first encounter, he had never paid much attention to the strange woman that traveled with his half-brother, but once he joined their odd pack, he did find himself appraising her with more regularity. She was courageous, determined, and marginally intelligent. She had managed to keep his erratic brother in line and under control which was a feat deserving of praise. How did one merely pretty human woman have so much power over all she encountered? Even as a miko, her powers would not have been enough to glue the rag-tag bunch to her side. There was something about her that made everyone she chanced upon a victim to her witchery.

He shook himself from his thoughts as he realized what his treacherous mind had tried to pull. Why was he even debating with himself whether or not the girl was attractive? It was against everything he stood for to even give the raven-haired beauty a second glance. She belonged to the half-breed and as such, her gorgeous cobalt eyes were off limits to him. He was not his father. He would not lust after a taken woman. Now he knew his sanity was leaving him. How many times had his perfidious ponderings just focused on the girl's physical attributes? No. This needed to end, now. Forcing himself into a reclining position against the behemoth timber, he closed his eyes and attempted to clear his mind to sleep.

His respite was short-lived as there was a blinding flash and rumble of thunder echoed loudly in the bower. The clouds burst and icy cold drops of water fell rapidly and heavily to the ground soaking all in their path. Desperately, he curled closer to the tree to protect as much of his body as he could from the frigid moisture. The storm raged on and he began to shiver, cursing the weakness of mortality. He knew without a doubt that if he did not find a way to get warm and dry, he would fall ill and most likely die in this hellhole. He would never see the ones he could now grudgingly admit he loved ever again. His body grew even colder and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

"Over here!" came the loud cry as a beam of light fell upon something large and wet at the base of the tree. The rain had been pouring for hours and it was nearly midnight. When the storm had hit, the others had retreated for the safety of Dogtown, but Kagome and Jaken refused to give up their search. Something was tugging at her subconscious and she just knew that if she gave up now, something terrible would happen. Armed with flashlights, a radio transmitter, and rain gear, they soldiered on until they reached the last forest on the map. It was the furthest away and the least traveled of all of the other parks. Jaken had been the one to locate the hidden grove and his flashlight was pointed into the darkness toward a humongous redwood.

Kagome surged ahead and dropped to her knees by a large root. There indeed was a large wet body lying on its side as close to the bark as humanly possible. She choked back a sob and prayed to the Kami that they weren't too late. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the exposed arm of the creature before her. The skin was dangerously cold, and the pulse was faint, but they were definitely still alive. She pulled a large waterproof blanket from the bedroll on her back and began layering it around the being before her. She didn't know how she knew, but this was definitely Sesshoumaru. His platinum hair was darkened with rain, but she'd know that bone structure anywhere. She shook him carefully to wake him, not wanting him to go into shock. If he stayed asleep he might never wake up. They had to somehow get him out of the rain.

"Jaken! Radio the others! Tell them we need backup right now!" She called frantically across the clearing before turning back to the man in front of her. "Sesshoumaru? It's Kagome. You have to wake up. If you stay asleep you might die. Please, please open your eyes!"

He was floating somewhere in the darkness. It was warm and comfortable here. For the first time in forever, he felt truly rested. In the peaceful darkness, he began to hear a muffled murmur. He tried to ignore it but it was incessant and he was pulled brutally from his slumbering to crash back down to earth. His first sensation was that he was freezing. His skin prickled with pins and needles, the first sign of frostbite. There was the feeling of warmth on his upper arm and he struggled to open his heavy eyelids. He knew that he was in hell the minute his blurred vision fell upon the heart-shaped face in front of him.

"I knew I would die here. What better way to torment me than to hear your voice and see your face again at the end?"

His eyes fluttered shut and his breathing grew shallow.

Kagome recoiled as the bitter words fell from his lips purpled with cold. Inuyasha was right. What did she expect? Still, she couldn't leave him to die out here in the cold. She had to think of Rin. She couldn't see her daddy like this. She was saved from having to think about how badly his words had hurt her when the bright lights of the jeep breached the clearing. Kouga and Inuyasha jumped out of the vehicle and ran for Kagome.

He knew something dire had happened when his eyes fell on her downtrodden face.

"Kags, what's wrong? Everything alright?" he questioned with a worried look in his eyes.

She shook her head and lead him over to Sesshoumaru.

"We have to get him to safety. He's freezing to death. I'm not sure how much longer he can last. Please hurry!" She tried desperately to keep the hurt from her voice, but she knew he wouldn't miss it. Her eyes bored into his begging him not to ask her about it.

"Alright," he agreed, "but you know we're gonna talk later. Let's just get the icicle into the car." She glared at his choice of words. "Sorry. I guess that wasn't funny."

The ride back to Dogtown was silent and the atmosphere was heavy. Kagome sat in the back of the jeep, Sesshoumaru on her lap as she tried to gradually warm him up with the use of blankets and careful massaging of his hands and feet. It wouldn't do any good for them to have rescued him, only for him to die of shock from heating up too quickly. They pulled up to the building and moved quickly to get him inside to one of the rehab rooms. Kouga had a feeling the great dog prince wouldn't be too appreciative of the fact that they'd basically taken him to the vet's office, but they didn't have much choice. The human hospital was too far away and would ask way too many questions.

Kouga assembled his team and they worked quickly to get the taiyoukai turned human out of his wet clothing. They would not be able to salvage the tattered t-shirt, holey sneakers or the frayed jeans, he decided, and sent the garments off to be disposed of. Judging by the decimated outfit, the dog lord had been in that forest for a long time. He knew that Sesshoumaru was a proud creature, so he was greatly troubled by the state they'd found him in. Surely he hadn't fallen so far as to stop taking care of himself. The poor condition of the man before him lead to the suggestion that maybe there was a greater power at play here.

When he was satisfied that they'd removed the main source of the cold from the inu, he began to pile him with warm, dry blankets and adjusted the thermostat. They would have to bring his temperature up slowly or they could end up doing further harm. His skin was already returning to a less pallid shade of gray and his teeth were no longer chattering, but he was not out of the woods yet. He would have to have around the clock care until he was out of the danger zone. Fluids would be necessary to aid in his recovery, but that would have to wait until his body was warm enough not to reject them.

He didn't even hear the door behind him, being focused intently on his task, but he didn't have to look to know who was standing at his back.

"Is he going to be okay?" the raven-haired woman asked timidly, worry lacing her voice.

"I think if you hadn't found him when you did, he'd be in a lot worse shape, but he's not in the clear yet. He's going to need to be under surveillance for at least the next 48 hours before we can decide how much damage was actually done. Don't worry, Kagome, we're going to do everything we can to make sure he gets better."

She nodded despondently and volunteered to take the first watch. She wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway and it just wouldn't feel right to be relaxing and comfortable while he was recovering from a near-death experience in an unfamiliar world. Kouga hesitantly agreed, knowing how stubborn she was. There was no way he was going to be able to convince her to leave him in someone else's care. She worried too much for everyone's well-being except her own.

"Maybe if you try talking to him, it will help speed his recovery. If it's too quiet, he may not put up enough of a fight to come back to us. You take care of yourself little missy, and if you get tired, come and get one of us and we'll take over so you can get some rest." He made her promise and left the two to their privacy.

She approached the makeshift hospital bed and pulled a stool over to sit next to the demon lord's face. She gently placed her own head down next to his sleeping visage and settled her small hand over his large and slightly chilled fingers.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, "if only we'd gotten to you sooner, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. I know you already don't like me much, but you have to fight. If not for yourself, then for Rin. She misses you so much. She sees you as a father and that little girl needs her daddy back." Her warm breath ghosted over his face as she spoke to his sleeping form about everything and nothing until gradually she talked herself to sleep beside him.

Dozing as she was, she was unaware when two glowing tawny eyes slowly opened to gaze at her slumbering face. With great difficulty and tingling pain, Sesshoumaru maneuvered his opposite hand to brush the hair from her eyes before resting his hand on her head and going back to sleep.


	15. A Family Affair

It had been almost three hours since Kouga had left Kagome to watch over their frostbitten patient. Knowing how headstrong his friend was, Inuyasha decided it would be prudent to go and assess the situation whether she asked for help or not. He approached the temporary recovery room and quietly pushed the door open. He bit back a growl in his throat at the scene before him. Kagome was passed out completely with her head against his brother's shoulder and her hand resting on his arm as he ran his fingers through her hair. The demon lord lifted his eyes lazily to the source of the sound but did not cease his.

"Hello, little brother." He whispered hoarsely, his throat still sore from disuse. "Miss me?"

Inuyasha smirked darkly focusing on the girl at the side of the bed and avoiding his brother's teasing look.

"How can I miss you if you won't stay gone? I'm only gonna say this once, Sesshoumaru. I know you don't like humans, but I'm sure you've realized by now, that's all there are. Like it or not, we're all human so you better learn to get along and so help me if you hurt Kagome, you're gonna wish you'd stayed an ice cube." He gathered his fingers into a fist, subtly threatening.

Sesshoumaru glowered at the once hanyou and he bared his human teeth at him.

"You have no cause to worry over my intentions half-breed. This Sesshoumaru is not without honor. I am not our sire and I have no designs on your miko. Her determination saved my life and I am forever in her debt. She will not come to harm by my hand. The state of my being is irrelevant."

Inuyasha almost laughed out loud, shaking his head amusedly at his older half-sibling.

"You just don't get it, do you? Ain't nobody here you can call a half-breed or miko anymore. We're all powerless here. No priests, no demons, this is it! The only magic left is what they call technology. You have nothing to hold over anyone anymore. We're equals. I suggest you figure out how you're gonna deal with that because I meant what I said. You make her cry and I'm gonna wipe the floor with you, family or no family."

Before the ex-taiyoukai could respond, the infuriating man turned and left the room.

"That went well," whispered Kagome sarcastically, yawning and stretching from her reclined position, "he's always so loud, brash, and overprotective."

Slightly startled, his body stiffened as she removed herself from his grasp. He hadn't realized the girl had awakened. Concern lit his face as he questioned how much of the argument she had heard.

Her face was unreadable as she pulled away from him to stand, turning to the door. She placed her hand against the wood before turning to look over her shoulder.

"Just know that you don't owe me anything. I didn't do it for you, but for a little girl out there who would be devastated by the loss of her father."

With that, she left the room, leaving him to his thoughts. He had little time to process her harsh words because at that moment, the doors were flung nearly off their hinges as a strange blonde haired man and a very familiar little girl rushed into his temporary dwelling.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" came the strange cry from the blonde. It was a hauntingly familiar squall. His eyes widened as they fell on the lord, whose blankets had slipped to his waist exposing his bare chest. He snatched the girl out of the air and put his arm across her face, blocking her view of the former demon. "Rin, cover your eyes! We must preserve his lordship's modesty!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and pulled the sheets back over his form.

"Jaken, cease this inane babble over my perceived indecency and let me have my pup. It is my understanding that she has suffered the most from my absence."

Rin cried out in joy as she pushed past the stunned ex-kappa and jumped up onto the stool next to the bed. She threw her arms around his neck in a death-grip and held on with all of her might. Sesshoumaru's stare softened and he uncharacteristically brought his arms up to wrap around the tiny child. It was as though a piece of him was missing without his notice and they were suddenly reunited. He buried his face in the hair at the crown of her head and inhaled her warm human smell as he murmured nonsense words of comfort to her.

She grinned up at him with an adorable gap-toothed smile as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Her face grew abruptly solemn and she looked away.

"Rin, what is the matter?" He nearly got whiplash from the rapid change in her mood.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she started out shyly, "Rin would very much like to call you papa, but Rin does not want you to be upset."

He studied her small face lovingly before pulling her back to his chest and hugging her tightly.

"Rin, this Sesshoumaru would be honored to be called whatever you would like."

Their forgotten observer, Jaken, watched the tender moment before him with tears in his eyes as he sniffled piteously into a handkerchief. Sesshoumaru, recalling his presence, chose to address his retainer.

"Jaken, it seems my belongings are not on my person. Should you choose to remain in my employ, I will require your assistance to acquire an adequate wardrobe and lodgings. Your obligations to me have been fulfilled as I no longer hold the title of lord, but," he paused, "I should be eternally grateful for your voluntary aid."

In the waiting room, Kagome snuggled with Shippo in a similar position. It seemed things were falling into place, but at the same time, things were now more complicated. In this time, she couldn't just take Shippo home to care for him even though they both considered her to be his mother. He was already legally and on paper the child of Sango. She had no reservations that her friend would do what needed to be done to allow her to keep her kit, but she had no idea what being pulled away from Sesshoumaru was going to do to Rin. Additionally, the apathetic man had been found wandering in the woods during a massive thunderstorm. She highly doubted he had a home for himself, let alone the means to raise a child. For all she knew, he wasn't even documented! Then there was the issue of what losing both of the children Sango had been raising as her own would do to her friend. True, she had been reunited with the love of her life, but there were just so many transformations occurring around them rapidly, and not all of the important ones were physical. Finding a new normal was going to be hard for everyone. Discovering her friends had merely been the beginning of their trials.

Kouga broke through her depressing thoughts as he made his way into the waiting area to sit next to her on the couch.

"It seems that our wanderer wasn't as exposed to the elements as we initially feared. He has already made a substantial amount of progress and with a bit of rest and a few good meals, he should be as good as new."

"That's wonderful, Kouga! Rin will be so happy to hear that!" acknowledged Sango, but the false smile on her face didn't reach her eyes. Kagome noticed her friend's turmoil, surmising that she'd been correct to consider the effect the loss would have on her friend.

"Sango, you're still her mom. She's not going anywhere without your say-so." She reassured, pleased when she saw the woman relax her tense shoulders.

"What you say is true, Kagome," Miroku addressed to her while rubbing his lover's back, "but we must also consider who it is we are dealing with. Do you truly think he's going to let her go without a fight? We will need to discuss this like rational people."

"It seems there are those among you that have retained some semblance of sense and decency." came the low baritone rumble from the room's entrance. The being in question stood before them adjusting the buttons on the cuff of his long-sleeved dress shirt before making his way to the unoccupied easy chair.

Instantly, the air was sucked from the room as the group turned to look at the interloper sitting casually in their midst. He settled comfortably into the plush cream-colored vinyl and placed his arms on the armrests before crossing a leg to rest his ankle on his opposite knee.

"This Sesshoumaru is not so arrogant as to waltz into your lives and begin tearing families apart for my own amusement. I have come to offer a deal." He studied each of them intently before nodding as though agreeing with himself. "My only interest at this time is in making sure my ward receives the highest quality of care until such a time as I am able to provide a stable household and take over. Therefore I believe it would be most advantageous that she remain under the supervision of her current family with the understanding that she will return where she belongs when the time is right."

"Now hold on just a minute!" Inuyasha interjected, having only caught the tail end of the one-sided conversation, "I don't know who you think died and made you king, but that's not how we do things around here. What makes you think anyone has to agree to your stupid deal? Sango is Rin's mom now so you don't get to just show up, thank her for her services, and dismiss her when you feel like it! Real people have emotions and feelings and they don't just turn them off on your say-so!"

He knew that this wasn't going to be simple, but he had hoped he could appeal to the logic of the situation. He had to remain civil if he wanted to achieve his goals, even if he wanted nothing more at that moment than to rip his bothersome brother limb from limb. He grit his teeth and tried to remain calm.

"Thank you for your enlightening input, brother," he replied with heavily veiled sarcasm, "however I am aware of the delicate nature of the relationship. I do not intend to remove the girl entirely from their influence. She would not be prevented from having a continuing relationship with her caretakers. I am merely addressing the status of her dwelling arrangements when the outcomes are more in my favor. Like it or not, the child should be allowed an equal association with her father. Since you are so concerned with her family ties, I suggest you not let it escape your notice that the pup holds this one in such an esteem."

The atmosphere was practically frigid as the two siblings sized each other up. An unspoken 'bite me' hung in the air between them.

Sango broke the tension, and though her heart was sore, she had to admit that the great dog had a good point. She looked to Miroku for support before speaking.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I am touched by your concern for my feelings in this matter. I agree with you that it would be cruel to keep the girl who I have only ever known as a daughter from having a relationship with the one she looks up to as her father. Therefore, I am agreeable to your suggestions, but I request that we take each day as it comes before we decide on anything permanent. We will evaluate the situation based on your ability to provide an appropriate home and adequate financial stability for her. This era is not like what you are used to in the past, and children have standards of care that must be met according to the law and of course morality. Please understand that I don't say this to upset you, but you must know that our measure of you is somewhat tainted by past experiences. We have all been through a great deal of change and I look forward to seeing how you embrace yours."

Her words, though thoughtfully meant, struck a nerve and he struggled to keep his temper under control. How dare she use their past against him? Were they not all being given a second chance to correct the wrongs of their history? The very existence of her kind was by their nature in opposition to his and yet he did not throw her natural inclination to the extermination of hundreds of beings like himself back in her face as she'd done to him.

Forcing himself to stand as non-threateningly as possible, he extended his hand in front of him in offering with an unstated agreement to her terms. If he wanted his pup back where she belonged, he'd have to be willing to play by their rules. He would not allow these humans to outsmart and outmaneuver him.

Kagome sat stunned watching the exchange. She had not let Shippo out of her sight or off of her lap through the whole tense debate and he began to squirm from the tightness of her hold. She numbly released him and he took off to the other room to go find Jaken and Rin and tell them what had just happened. Kagome remained seated on the couch lost in disbelief over the actions and words of the man standing in the center of the room. What happened to the Sesshoumaru she knew? Surely this was not the same man who'd been so hateful to her in the pouring rain? The old Sesshoumaru would have snapped her friend's neck for keeping what he saw as his property from him, but here he was allowing a handshake and retreating calmly from their presence. Something about this entire situation was entirely wrong.


	16. Growing Pains

Things were finally beginning to settle into some semblance of a new routine as everyone adjusted as well as they could to the present situation. Everyone with the exception of Jaken, of course. Try as he might, he was just having trouble adjusting to the strangeness of everything that had happened. Following the discussion about living arrangements for Rin, Sesshoumaru had approached him and requested his assistance in locating a dwelling and the necessary documents to allow him to seek employment. The two soon found, however, that in spite of being able to speak the language of the land as the rest of the group could, he was unable to read or write the strange characters and his traditional Japanese was so outdated that finding a temporary job was impossible, leaving him completely at the mercy of the kappa turned human who had agreed to take him in.

His first reaction to the revelation that he had been placed at such a disadvantage was to rage and destroy a portion of the garden in exasperation. He cursed the Kami that had taken everything, including his heritage from him. He no longer had dominance over those around him by virtue of his education and intelligence and he would have to start completely from the bottom and work his way up. Perhaps his strength and intellect had been seen as a threat and now he had truly been reduced to the lowest levels of society as an illiterate vagabond. In spite of his human abilities, more than one piece of Jaken's furniture had now been reduced to splinters and threads as his temper got the better of him. It was something he felt truly ashamed of. His legendary control had snapped and he'd thrown a temper tantrum like a whelp. He mentally added the couch and coffee table to the rapidly growing list of things he would have to pay Jaken back for when he was able to stand on his own two feet.

Jaken had chosen that exact moment to return home from the boarding stable where he worked tending the horses. He glanced around what remained of his living room in shock as his eyes fell upon a dirt-covered Sesshoumaru who was glaring at the remains of the couch cushions with both shame and petulance. As if sensing that he was no longer alone he met Jaken's gaze. He hung his head and without a word, began to clean up the mess. He was still a proud man and refused to admit that he'd lost control by offering an apology. Jaken said nothing, but shook his head in bewilderment and headed for the kitchen to start dinner, still ruminating over the strange twist in fate that left his lord as his attendant.

Once the destruction had been cleared from the living room, Sesshoumaru made his way outside to attempt to undo some of the damage done to the garden. Luckily, there were only a few plants uprooted which he easily replaced before sweeping the dirt and debris from the cobblestone pathways. When his task was complete, he returned to the house. He was filthy and covered in stuffing from the couch cushions, and he was still learning to use the washer and dryer, but he didn't want to leave dirty clothes lying around. He was grateful for the hospitality but he didn't want to be a burden, especially after his fit of anger. He was already going to have to work off the destroyed furniture. He stripped down to a pair of boxer shorts and placed the soiled garments into the washing machine before considering how much detergent to add. He searched the box of powdered soap for picture instructions but there were none. Growling in irritation, he decided to just guess and hope for the best. There had been a lot of soil on the jeans and t-shirt from the plant incident so he concluded that more soap would probably be better as he poured half of the box onto the dirty clothes and pressed the button that Jaken had explained would start the machine.

With his laundry sorted out, he selected a new outfit from among his scant possessions in his small bedroom and made his way to the shower. Hot water would help with the tension he felt and being clean would give him a new perspective to tackle his problems. His relaxing solitude was interrupted by a loud screeching from outside the bathroom door. He dressed hurriedly, not taking time to dry off and threw the door open only to be met with the sight of a hallway full of suds. Jaken was red in the face, covered in soap, and screaming incoherently as he left the laundry room. He spied Sesshoumaru leaving the bathroom, eyes wide at the sight of the mess in the hallway. He was so angry that he didn't think twice.

"You. Out. Now." His voice was chillingly quiet and serious as he pointed to the front door. He wanted to help his lord, but he was tired of having his house destroyed by an ungrateful adult that couldn't stop acting like an overgrown child. Everyone had problems, he wasn't that special and it was time he went out and figured out how to cope without destroying their house!

Sesshoumaru was numb with shock as he made his way to the door, grabbed his coat and slipped his shoes on. He didn't know where he would go, but it would not be wise to provoke the ex-kappa further.

Sighing as the door closed, Jaken began the tedious work of cleaning up the mess. Just how much soap had he used anyway? He went to the utility closet for a mop and a bucket and returned to the hall to start clearing away the remnants of the washing accident. He finally cleared away enough of the lather to reach the laundry room, only to fall through a medium sized hole as the floor gave way beneath his feet. Oh, he was definitely going to kill that dog when he came back. If he let him come back, that is.

The sun was setting quickly and Kagome and Shippo were returning home from their nightly walk. It had become a tradition for them ever since the paperwork was finalized naming Kagome as his mother and granting her full custody. They were only a few doors away from the house when they spied a strange figure sitting on a nearby bench. He was staring off into the distance, his hands in his jacket pockets. He didn't seem to notice them approach until Shippo climbed up into his lap, much to Kagome's distress.

"Good evening, Sesshoumaru. What brings you to our little corner of town?" she greeted him while motioning to Shippo that he needed to return to her side.

He glanced at her dully and returned to staring into space as he spoke dejectedly. To her surprise, he ignored the kit on his lap.

"This Sesshoumaru has...made a mistake. I allowed my discontent to replace my reason and my temper has made me a fool. In my effort to correct the wrongs wrought by my ill temper I made a grave error. As such, I find myself regretfully without lodging so I was merely contemplating my options in this situation. I was unaware that your home was nearby."

"You mean you have nowhere to go? What about Jaken's house? I thought you lived there?" piped up Shippo who had stubbornly refused to leave the man's lap.

He finally drew his attention to the small child and awkwardly lifted him from his position to stand him next to Kagome. He shook his head to the negative as he too raised from his seat.

"I believe I may have, what's the word? 'Screwed the pooch' if you'll forgive the expression. I find I am having difficulties learning to use these new technologies that exist in this time and Jaken has finally had enough of my failings."

She bit back a laugh at his phrasing even as her heart went out to the man. Sure, she still didn't think he liked her much, but here he was standing in the middle of the street admitting that he had messed up and though he didn't come right out and say anything of the sort, it was absolutely a cry for help. She wouldn't be who she was if she didn't try to offer assistance, it would be against her nature.

"I know it's not much, and you didn't actually ask, but how about you come and at least have dinner with us? I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat yet and your hair is wet. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here and I really don't want to see you get sick again so soon after you've recovered. I'm sure you haven't messed things up permanently, and we'll help you come up with a plan to fix it. "

Shippo agreed and though he resisted at first, he eventually had to give in. Rin had him conditioned to succumb to the famed 'puppy dog eyes' look and she had taught the kit well. He startled when the small hand found his and lead him to the door, but managed not to show his surprise, schooling his features into a signature unreadable mask. The child led him through the doorway and dragged him down the hall to his room with glee, promising to show him all of the cool things that Kagome had bought while she made dinner.

They got to the small, but well-supplied bedroom where the kit bounced onto the bed excitedly. He pointed around the room chattering rapidly about the posters on the wall and the myriad number of toys and books scattered about the floor. As he politely tried to keep up with Shippo's animated commentary, he noticed a well-kept shrine in the one pristine corner of the room. Shippo noticed what had caught the taiyoukai's interest and sobered immediately.

"I still remember them. I was really little when they…" he choked up and his eyes started to water, "But I still think about them. I remember their smell and I remember how we all use to sleep curled up in the middle of the floor. I love Kagome. She'll always be my Mama, but sometimes… I really miss them, you know?" he finished, rubbing the tears that threatened to fall. He didn't want Sesshomaru to see him cry.

The older man was in awe. The shrine was beautiful. An incense burner, a number of small trinkets, and a fur pelt he suspected was the only remainder of the kit's father, were all layered over an ornate piece of cloth. There were no pictures, but instead, numerous drawings of foxes clearly done in a child's hand. It was a perfect offering to honor Shippo's deceased parents.

"Did you put this together by yourself?" he asked, awestruck at the sentimental display. This child had obviously lost so much more than he had and yet, he wasn't throwing tantrums. He was handling his grief and loss with grace and honor.

"Mama bought the cloth and she helps me light the incense since I'm not allowed to have matches, but I did all the rest. I know my drawings aren't that good, but they're the only pictures I have."

In a rare fit of sentimentality, he scooped up the child and hugged him close.

"Your parents would be honored, Shippo. This is a great tribute to their memory."

Their touching interlude was interrupted by Kagome's call that dinner was ready and the two silently agreed not to speak of the moment as Shippo lead Sesshoumaru to the dining room. The well-decorated room was an open floor plan with a separate table and chairs adjacent to the kitchen and divided by an island counter complete with stools for kitchen dining. Kagome had set plates piled with steak, rice, and some vegetable of questionable aroma on the counter.

"I thought it would seem a little less formal if we ate in the kitchen. I've always felt it was a little homier." She explained placing a drinking glass and a set of silverware next to each place setting.

Sesshoumaru eyed the utensils warily. He had expected chopsticks. He still had difficulty navigating the western-style cutlery and he was currently praying to every deity he knew that he would not further embarrass himself today. Especially not in front of Kagome.

Mistaking his glare, Kagome snickered and gave him a playful lecture as she placed a pitcher of iced tea and a pitcher of water on the table.

"They're just Brussel sprouts. They're not going to bite you. I'll tell you the same thing I tell Shippo. We follow the two-bite rule in this house. You have to at least try two bites before you decide you don't like them."

"This Sesshoumaru is not afraid of a vegetable." he scoffed and moved to take a seat.

"Oh! Sit by me! Sit by me!" shouted Shippo launching himself into a chair at the end of the row. He knew she would never admit it, but his Mama liked Sesshoumaru and she deserved happiness. Maybe forcing them to sit next to each other would make them both happy even if they stubbornly argued against it.

"Shippo! No running in the house, please!" Kagome chastised him as she took her seat at the opposite end of the table.

Lighthearted conversation flowed easily as they began to eat. That is until she noticed the mess Shippo was making with his food. She was about to correct him when her attention was drawn to Sesshomaru's plate.

"For someone who is not afraid of vegetables, I've yet to see you taste one." She smirked at him. Her smirked soon turned to a look of horror as he raised the offensive orb to his mouth with his fingers, juice dripping everywhere.

"You are just as bad as Shippo! Use your fork! Oh for goodness sake!" She stood quickly, placing her napkin on the table. "That's it you two! You are a mess! Go to the bathroom and wash up, both of you. Shippo, you have rice in your hair! How did you even manage… on second thought, don't answer that. Bath time. Sesshoumaru, you go and make sure he gets his hair washed, I'll take care of the dishes." She began gathering up the discarded plates and silverware. Both males had the decency to look chagrined as they pushed away from the table to follow directions. Shippo was upset because he really hated bath time, while Sesshoumaru was mortified. He should have taken his chances with the fork.

They retreated to the bathroom and Sesshoumaru thanked the lucky stars that he could at least work the spigots of the bathtub. He plugged the basin and ran warm water allowing the kit to test it for his comfort before turning to the mirror above the sink. Shippo handed him a washcloth and showed him where to find the soap. He glanced up at his reflection and flinched. Kagome was right to be disgusted with him, he was a mess. He had the noxious juice of the horror known as Brussel sprouts trailing down his face down to the collar of his shirt. He washed as well as he could before turning to Shippo. He'd never actually bathed a child before.

As if sensing his hesitation, the boy took pity on the ex-dog and decided not to put up a fight like he normally did at bathtime. He explained in low tones how he liked his hair washed and did most of the scrubbing himself. Once clean, he instructed Sesshoumaru on where to find towels and dried off with the procured mass of fluff before leading him back to his bedroom so he could help with the buttons on his jammies.

The contrite pair headed for the living room and sat on the couch to wait for Kagome to finish the dishes. When Shippo looked up at Sesshoumaru and blinked while holding out a storybook he'd snuck out from his room, his stomach dropped. He took the book gingerly from the kit but refused to look at it. Shippo was confused. Maybe he had misunderstood.

"Can you read me a story? Mama usually does it but she's still in the kitchen."

Sesshoumaru studied the small boy beside him before sinking down to kneel on the floor in front of him.

"Kit, you are young, but I know you to be a creature of honor. This Sesshoumaru would entrust you with a secret." the once-fox child nodded and his eyes grew large at the thought of sharing a secret with the powerful man in front of him. Whispering quietly into Shippo's ear, he grudgingly admitted, "I am unable to read. I can understand what is spoken and I can speak the words myself, but I cannot understand the writings of this tongue." He drew back to judge the child's reaction.

Shippo placed a small hand on Sesshoumaru's arm and patted it in sympathy before whispering back, "I will read it to you. I'll go really slowly so you can watch the words. Mama taught me to read and she's an excellent teacher. I won't tell anyone but if you want, I bet Mama could help you too. She won't laugh at you. Mama says that trying to learn new things is never a waste and you should never make fun of someone for wanting to be smarter."

Shortly after, Kagome returned from the kitchen to find Shippo and Sesshoumaru as thick as thieves whispering amongst themselves on the floor of her living room, a book between her son's hands as he rested on the man's lap. She had to do a double-take to assure herself of what she was seeing. Shippo was very obviously and painstakingly reading to him. She smiled a tiny smile to herself before making an unnecessary amount of noise so they would hear her coming. The two looked up at her before quickly scurrying back to the couch to act as though they had been sitting there all along.

"So what are you boys up to now?" she questioned innocently as though she hadn't just caught her kit trying to teach the taiyoukai to read. Sesshoumaru saw right through the act and knew they'd been caught. Mortified did not begin to touch what he was feeling over having his secret found out.

She saw his embarrassed look and held up a hand to stop him from speaking what was on his mind.

"I did not come in here to judge, Sesshoumaru. If you want help learning to read, I will be happy to teach you. I became a teacher for a reason. I will never make fun of you for wanting to expand your knowledge. With that being said, it's almost Shippo's bedtime. I happen to have a guest room if you would like a place to stay for now, and I should be able to find you an oversized t-shirt to wear while I wash the one you're wearing now. We can discuss whatever issues you're having with Jaken tomorrow after a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast."

"Miko, I do not wish to further impede your hospitality. Your company has been pleasant and your offerings of a meal have been gracious. I do not wish to burden you with the misfortunes that follow my presence." he was ashamed to have to rely on others to solve his problems for him. Least of all the woman whose existence tortured his very being. It would not be appropriate for him to take up residence with his brother's woman. Where was the welp anyway? "Besides, I don't believe my brother would appreciate the company of one such as myself upon his return home."

At that, Kagome did laugh which only served to irritate Sesshoumaru. He stood abruptly, making his way to the front door. He would not be made a fool!

"Oh, sit down you overgrown puppy! I'm laughing because you still think Inuyasha and I are somehow involved. Oh, for goodness sake, don't look at me like that! You're going to start catching flies if you don't close your mouth!" She didn't understand why he was acting this way. He very clearly hadn't been happy to see her when she came across him in that forest clearing. She recalled his harsh words perfectly. Could it be that she had misunderstood?

Indeed his mouth was agape. Surely she didn't mean what she was saying? It was obvious that she had been in love with the hanyou when they traveled together in the past. What had changed? He stood dumbfounded but closed his mouth with a snap.

"My apologies for my impertinence. I was not aware that the relationship between yourself and my brother had been diminished. I spoke out of turn." His mind was whirling with a million unfinished thoughts. If she did not belong to his brother, did that mean he had a chance?

"That's enough crazy-talk for one night. I'm going to put Shippo to bed and get you that change of clothes. If you turn down my hospitality I might be cross with you." Her eyes were twinkling and he knew she was teasing him, but this time, he didn't mind. He merely nodded his acceptance and sat back down on the couch to wait. Things were definitely taking a bizarre turn.


End file.
